Media encouraged to play their part for Children's Week
New South Wales Children’s Week 2016 starts this Saturday, October 22nd and Broken Hill’s early childhood education and care sector and child & family services are working together to celebrate the week.
The theme for this year is on Article 17 from the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child - "Children have the right to reliable information from the media”.
Article 17 concerns children’s right to information and specifically requires that Australia and other parties to the Convention “recognize the important function performed by the mass media” in ensuring that children have “access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of [children’s] social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health”. (UNCRC,1989).
The Committee overseeing the Children’s Week activities in Broken Hill is headed by Maari Ma Early Years Project Leader, Lesley Harvey.
Ms Harvey said Article 17 asks governments to encourage the mass media to “disseminate information and material of social and cultural benefit to the child” with particular attention to the linguistic needs of Indigenous children and children who belong to minority cultures.
“Children’s Week next week will be a time to celebrate childhood while at the same time valuing each child’s cultural heritage.
“We will be hosting a range of activities from Monday 24th to Thursday 27th that support and involve children, their families and all who care for them.
“Universal Children's Day is observed across Australia every year on the fourth Wednesday in October, which this year is October 26th, and it will form the central focus of Children's Week celebrations.
“We will be holding Children’s Day in the Park (Sturt Park) from 10.00am to 1.00pm where
local services across government, non-government and the early childhood education sector will come together to promote a free family focussed play day in the park.
“The event, held annually, fosters a collaborative approach to raising community awareness of the importance of early childhood.
“Activities also provide informal opportunities to promote the importance of play on children's learning and development and it gives families the chance to meet a range of professionals across the early childhood spectrum such as health workers, family support services and those working in early childhood education” Ms Harvey said.
ENDS
20th October 2016
Available for interview
Maari Ma Early Years Project Leader, Lesley Harvey
8082 9888